The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-19
A GREAT FUNERAL IN JAPAN.
A Buddhist High Priest Cremated and
Inurned.

Inurned.
From the 81. Louis Globe Democrat.
YOKOHAMA, Oct, GA month ago the
high priest of the temple across the creek
from the foreign settlement of Yokohama
died and his body was cremated. His ashes
were placed in an urn and then in a pine
box in the shape of aminiature temple, and
the priests from all the diocese were sum-
moned to take part in the funeral services.
The long interval between the death and
final rites robbed the affair of any exhibit
tions of poignant grief, and everything
was given up to the exact forms and elabo-
rate ceremonies of the Buddhist funeral
ritual. The son Of the high priest succeed
ed to his fathers office by inheritance, and
he prepared himself for the services by days
of fasting and prayer, and at the ceremo-
MES knelt below the officiating priest and
wore the plain white robes OF a mourner.
He had no part In the service, and was like
a statue until he rose AM taking the NOR
tuary tablet from the altar, walked behind
the caslket from the temple to the grave
yard.
The priests came from near and from far,
some arriving by train on the day and at
the hour of the funeral, and, hurTying to
the temple with servants carrying bags full
of ceremonial robes at their heels, slipped
their brocades on in the ante-room and
joined the solemn company sitting in rows
ike so many images. The hundred and odd
priests sat at either side of the altar with
the casket before it, and for general effect
nothing was ever more dazzling than that
row OF smooth faced, shaven-headoi priests
in superb brocade garments that glowed
with all the richest colors and gllstened with
gold thread. The services consisted of
chanting by all the priests in chorus, aud
in responses to the intoned readings cf the
high priest. The big temple drum was
struck at stages of the chanting, and the
priests played on an instrument that resein-
bled the bundle of reeds or pipes that the
god Pan played in Greek mythology. The
roise was a harsh, shrill wall, combining the
worst of bagpipe and flute melody. They
chanted from open books, and, standing,
held plates OF pierced brasswork from which
they sifted the leaves of the icbo tree at
regular intervals, these leaves being prayer
symbols in the Buddhist service. While
the chanting and pipe playing was going
on, the friends Of tue deceased came forward
ono by one, and, kneeling at the edge OF the
mats, Frustrated themselves in prayer and
sprinkied incense in the large bronze burn
er Later the incense burner and the box in
cense was passed before the priests, each one
muttering prayer and dropping pinch OF
fragrant powder on the Goals.
AS the procession of priests wound out
y
der the heavy gabled gateway and down
the long terrace steps to the street, it was
brilliant and dazzling spectacle. Their rich
brocaded robes shone with gold thread, and
many of them were so, 60 and more years
old, heirloons handed down from one priest
to another, and now priceless and impossi-
lie TO duplicate. The rich, soft old colors,
toned by age. are as different from the
garish colors or the modern dye pots as pos
sible, and except in temple services and at
the great theatres one seldom sees these old
brocades now. An attendant carried a
large red umbrella over the head Of each
priest, and as the line Of rainbow color and
glstening bullion threads came down ths
long terrace steps, it was a fine picture. As
the procession went out the long street
crowded solidly with japanese, everything
was swallowed up and hidden but thered UNI
brellas, and these hamigo signals alons
marked the line Of the funeral train At the
graveyard there was more chanting, in
cense food and flowers were laid at the
tomb, aud the ashes of the high priest were
finally aft rest